1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic version of a steelpan drum. The electronic synthesized steelpan drum has particular utility in connection with delivering the true and natural sounds and tones of a steelpan drum, as well as eliminating the need for continuous repetitive tuning of the instrument.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Electronic steelpan drums that can deliver true and natural sounds of a variety of different steelpan instruments and that does not require the need for a tuning expert to continuously keep the instrument tuned for optimized sound is very desirable.
The use of electron drums is known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,700,602 to Bozzio discloses an electronic drum having multiple sound sources with rapidly detachable striking elements and piezoelectric transducers. However, the Bozzio '602 patent is different in structure from the present invention and does not use electronic synthesizers to deliver the natural sound of a steelpan drum. Furthermore, this patent does not disclose the mixing of other musical instruments with the sound of the steelpan drum.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,679,479 to Koyamato discloses an electronic drum, which uses a single detection element mounted on the base layer of the drum to detect the striking of the drum surface. However, the Koyamato '479 patent is different in structure from the present invention and does not use electronic synthesizers to deliver the natural sound of a steelpan drum. Furthermore, this patent does not disclose the mixing of other musical instruments with the sound of the steelpan drum.
Also, U.S. Patent Design No. D319,650 to Hart discloses the design of an electronic drum. However, the Hart '650 patent is also different in structure from the present invention in that it has a single striking surface and does not use electronic synthesizers to deliver the natural sound of a steelpan drum. Furthermore, this patent does not disclose the mixing of other musical instruments with the sound of the steelpan drum.
Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,502,274 to Hotz, U.S. Pat. No. 6,212,772 to Whitmyre et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,973,247 to Matthews disclose apparatus that may be of general interest and pertinent to the construction and design of the present invention. The Hotz '274 patent discloses an electronic musical instrument for playing along with prerecorded music. However, this instrument is different in structure from the present steelpan instrument patent and does not concentrate on generating the true and natural sound of steelpan drum. The Whitmyre '772 patent discloses a Caribbean steelpan drum. However, this instrument is also different in structure from the present invention and does not disclose an electronic version of the drum. Finally, the Matthews '247 patent discloses a portable steel drum and carrier. Here again, this instrument is different in structure from the present invention and does not disclose an electronic version of the drum.
While the above-described devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe an electronic synthesized steelpan drum that delivers true and natural steelpan sound.
Therefore, a need exists for a new and improved electronic synthesized steelpan drum that can deliver the true and pure sounds of the steelpan drum, doesn't require the laborious setup and continuous tuning that the traditional steelpan drums require, and can be mixed with other musical instruments inside the instrument. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need. In this respect, the electronic synthesized steelpan drum according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of providing pure steelpan drum sounds from an electronic instrument.